Paris, September 2008 : The 2008 international competition of the « Meilleur Jeune Commis Rôtisseur » of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs will take place at Le Cordon Bleu Paris Culinary Institute on September 19th, 2008. Yam Atallah, President of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and André Cointreau, President of Le Cordon Bleu and honorary member of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, will welcome all the international teams as well as their guests.

Four well-known chefs as well as four celebrities from the culinary world will represent the international jury. This year there are twenty competitors including four young women who will participate in the event : Fréderic Leclet (France), Shasta Bell (Australia), Daniel Schilcher (Austria), Michael Dekker (Canada), Tobias Gunther (Germany), Teemu Korkalainen (Finland), Andrea Molinelli (Italy) Pavel Petrov (Russia), Tanja Kruger (South Africa), Erol Saridogan (Turkey), Michael Andrew Sullivan (New Zealandl), Stavros Chatzikyriakou (Cyprus), Alexandre Gomez (Portugal), Jenn Joe Ling (Malaysia), Sun Hye Kim (Korea), Jeppe Foldager Andresen (Denmark), Sébastien Oger (Belgium), Robert Taylor (Great Britain), Keriann Von Raesfeld (USA), et Petter Kosjanov (Sweden).

Andrée Alaman is a remarkable example when she was nominated the laureate for the 1999 competition at the age of 20. She won the title of « Meilleur Ouvrier de France 2007» (M.O.F) at 29 while working at the 5 star Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz. Married to Stéphane Rosier, the couple opened their own restaurant Les Rosiers in Biarritz, last June.

Every year, Le Cordon Bleu culinary institutes in Paris and London host the regional and national competitions. The international competition took place at Le Cordon Bleu schools in Paris (1999) and in Adelaide (2006). Le Cordon Bleu donates every year a training scholarship to the winner. The laureate receives the Arthur Bolli Trophy as well as prizes from la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Wüsthof, famous knife manufacturer and partner of Le Cordon Bleu, Bragard and Canadian Chefs-Hats ®.

The Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, a worldwide gastronomic association founded in Paris in 1950, finds its origins in 1248 under the reign of Saint-Louis when the professional corporation des Ayeurs began as a royal guild of geese roasters. The Chaîne des Rôtisseurs encourages the training of young chefs through the Jeunes Commis Rôtisseurs competitions. These events offer young talents the opportunity of demonstrating their skills. The 25 000 amateurs and professional members spread widely throughout 70 countries. The Chaîne des Rôtisseurs continues to develop and expand.

Le Cordon Bleu was founded in Paris in 1895 and today is present in 15 countries with 30 schools bringing together each year 20.000 students from more than 70 nationalities. Le Cordon Bleu International has become one of the most important organizations dedicated to the teaching of culinary and pastry techniques as well as tourism and hotel management and thus contributes to the diffusion of the culinary arts and French culture.

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